ROGER MILLA

Roger Milla didn’t start a single match at the tournament which thrust him to stardom – and his name isn’t even Roger Milla.

Born Albert Roger Miller, he made his Cameroon debut in 1973 and was African Footballer of the Year three years later, before heading for the French league with Valenciennes and Monaco. But the forward had to wait until the ’ 90s to really go global – his first World Cup in 1982 didn’t deliver a goal.

After twice helping the Indomitable Lions to Africa Cup of Nations glory, Milla retired from the international scene in 1988 and began playing for Saint- Pierroise on the teeny Indian Ocean island of Reunion.

But when Cameroon qualified for Italia 90, a 38- year- old Milla was asked to return – by president Paul Biya – for a team that became iconic thanks to a shock win over Argentina in the tournament’s opening match. Milla came off the bench to net twice as they beat Romania in the next game, then performed a hip- wiggling makossa dance in front of the corner flag to celebrate. Against Colombia, he repeated that feat as Cameroon became the first African nation ever to reach the quarter- finals, bagging the second of his brace after robbing Rene Higuita outside his penalty area.

Milla made the World Cup’s all- star team despite all five of his outings coming as a sub, a bit like that weird time Reading’s Adam Le Fondre won Premier League Player of the Month.

Four years later, at USA 94, Milla turned up again and broke his own record as the oldest scorer in World Cup history against Russia, aged 42. He even made an appearance on

Fantasy Football, portraying ex- Blue Peter host Peter Purves. A true hero. Chris Flanagan